On cask @ Fat Heads Cleveland. Served in a pint glass for around $5.00.

The beer looks nice in the glass. ‘Pack a Whallop’ is a golden copper color with some notes of orange thrown in for good measure. The one finger head is white and stays around for a bit, leaving nice lace in its wake.

Unfortunately, the smell isn’t terribly expressive. I get the distinctive notes of grapefruit and orange pith from the use of CTZ hops, but they’re buried deep down in the glass. The malt base doesn’t add much either, maybe just a slight touch of grain. Overall, this is pleasant, but more expression would be a huge improvement.

The taste, however, makes up for the lack of pungency in the smell. There’s a nice balance between the sweetness from the malt and the bitterness from the citrus and pine notes in the hops. In particular, the depth of flavors from the hops is impressive. In addition to the slight grain in the malt, the tasting experience is dominated by grapefruit, orange pith, pine, and a touch of green hops.

The mouthfeel for a cask beer is good. The lack of carbonation makes the medium bodied beer a bit more of a chore to put down than I’d like, but it’s pretty average for the serving type. Overall, this is a good beer but lacks identity in the Fat Heads lineup. I’d go for a Head Hunter or Prohibition Pauley’s any day before ordering this again. A decent beer but nothing exceptional.

Pours a hazy copper color with an off white head. In the aroma, a nice, mellow grapefruity hop. In the taste, mellow grapefruit hops, and a fantastic balance of the malt. A small bitterness and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry grapefruity hop in the aftertaste. Very nice, very close to Nugget Nectar.

A= Cloudy, but yellowish straw in color.
S= Piney and citrus. There is a small amount of malt presence as well.
T= WOW! I hope you like Columbus hops! This beer has a huge amount of hops up front but finishes nicely with a touch of malt. Very smooth and tasty!
M= Thicker than I expected. Finishes clean.
D= The best pale ale I had to date. I can't get enough of this beer!

A: Pours a nice clear amber color, with some golden twinges (could have been the lighting). A very thin white foam head that does not last. Some spotty lacing.

S: Ample amount of pine hops, with a small amount of citrus. There are some bready/caramel malt as well, but the pine dominates.

T: The pine hits you big on the front end, leaving a bitter flavoring on the palate. There are some caramel malt flavoring on the back end but it is tough to pick up with all the pine bitterness already on my tongue.

M: A solid medium bodied beer. Despite the bitter pine hops (which I enjoy) the beer finishes with a little film of creaminess on the palate.

D: A 6% ABV but it certainly does not feel like it. If you enjoy pine hops with some malt hints, this beer is easy to enjoy over and over again.

I had this on tap at Fat Heads in Cleveland. The menu description: "American Strong Pale Ale brewed exclusively with English malted barley and packed with Columbus hops, which are known for their pine and citrus intensity. A sturdy malt backbone braces you for the wallop of Columbus hops".

The beer is clear, pale gold colored, with a thin head (less than 1 finger) that laces into small clumpy islands. The smell is piney and malty, I'm actually reminded of Hops Wallop more than any other beer (not because of the name, just the aromatics). This is definitely more of a pale ale than an IPA, based solely on the hops/malt ratio. The taste is about the same, well balanced and tasty, lots of pine needle and malty sweetness with a lingering bitterness in the aftertaste. Well carbonated, giving a reasonably average mouthfeel for a pale ale, this is an easy thirst quencher but not quite as tasty as Fat Head's IPA.

A - Clear light amber body with minimal carbonation and thin off-white cap that settled into some sticky, bubbly lacing around the rim of the glass. Head retained well, eventually diminishing into a patchy film that flared up a bit with each swirl of the glass.

S - Pungent waft of spicy and piney hops with a touch of citrus fruit. Some caramel malts join in to sweeten the aroma just a bit.

T - Initial flavor suggests a prickly, sharp pine character with some subtle juicy citrus notes backed by caramel malt sweetness, which eventually segues into spicy territory in the middle. Spiney, syrupy pine notes impart a very unique hop flavor.

M - Medium bodied with a syrupy texture and subtle carbonation. Slight alcohol warmth on the palate. Assertive hop bite in the finish that lingers for a while on the back of the tongue.

D - With its fairly aggressive hop character and penchant for piney and citrus hops, this definitely drinks like an IPA. It certainly packs a wallop for an American Pale Ale, and is definitely your typical lightly hopped ale. Good stuff!

Arrived a cloudy light orange with deep amber tones down deep. A wispy one inch head topped the brew and deposited copious amounts a droopy ringed lace.

Nose: Pine rind, some pear, dense citric tones.

Bitter blast on the first sip. Tamed by, yet not controlled by a deep sweet caramel base. Hop domination is ever present until the beer warms a bit, then the bready malts make a comeback and bring in the pleasant balance that made me want another one on this muggy summer Monday. The bitterness is a bit drying at first, but as with the flavor, improved with each sip.

On tap @ Fatheads (North Olmstead, OH) on 8/10/09. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a deep clear copper, with a 1/2 finger of foamy eggshell white head. This stays frothy, leaving back a fizzy cascade of lace. The aroma is pine cones, spice, and citrus character, along with backing notes of bread and caramel, all wrapped up in a floral blanket. Nice fresh pop in the nose to this.

The bitterness of the hops is resinous and spicy, laying fairly heavily on the palate, and staying sturdy throughout. Strong citrus notes and biscuits helps keep this from being overly unbalanced and bitter. The hops stretch long into the finish, with a spicy dry feel. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a prickly feel up front that then gives way to a much creamier carbonation and easier feel (especially for 6%)in the back.

Really good stuff here. An aggressively hopped-up APA, with solid balance, and an easy-drinking smooth feel for the size. I liked this better than their regular IPA here.

Poured from growler into a Willy tumbler. 10 minutes after leaving the brewery.

Beer looks copper with gold highlights, light tan head that dissipates slowly and leaves a very nice lace along the edge of the glass.

Aroma of light caramel, biscuits, and nice citrus, pine essence in the background.

Hoppier in the mouth than the nose. Starts off with a slight hint of caramel, that leads to some grapefruit bitterness. Has a long finish that keeps the hop bitterness in the back of the tounge for several seconds.

Very drinkable beer, can have several of these with a burger, pizza, or even a nice 2 year old vermont white cheddar. This beer would also compliment some spicy BBQ as the long lasting hops would really help with the heat.

On tap at the brewery a few hours ago. Review from notes. Poured into a clean, clear glass. Note from the brewery:

American Strong Pale Ale brewed exclusively with English malted barley and "packed" with Columbus hops which are known for their pine and citrus intensity. A sturdy malt backbone braces you for the "Wallop" of Columbus hops discovering taste buds you have never used before.